Waiting on a Friend: A St Elmo's Fire story
by daverindone
Summary: Kevin Dolenz agrees to meet Kirby Keeber for a few minutes before his interview with Mr. Kim. An innocent conversation between two old friends threatens to expose much more.


"Hey thanks for coming out, man." Kirby Keeger is pacing lightly in the waiting room of Sung Ho, LLC. He's jittery, which isn't something that Kevin Dolez is used to seeing. His friend looks fantastic, though, smartly decked out in a pressed slacks, proper suit jacket and tie, cleanly shaved, every hair in place. Alec would approve, he thought wistfully, very Republican.

"No sweat." Kevin takes a seat, looking around a bit before taking out a cigarette. It's a second or two before he can spot an ashtray, though. He's heard of more and more places around banning smoking in office due to the effect on the people around anyone lighting up. Inhaling, he appreciates the dark irony of city officials not giving a rip about the guy whose lungs are taking a beating, rather the anonymous strangers around them. There was also some more ominous news about a sexually transmitted disease that was making the newspaper circuit. Seems like all those years of the same anonymous strangers hooking up at, say, Studio 54 were

"...paying for it."

Kevin looks up, sharply. He felt like he was just in a light nap. He taps his ash. "Come again?"

Kirby is checking his look in the mirror, back facing his former college roommate. "I said I was thinking if that I don't get this shot with Dale, I'll end up paying for it.. Maybe for the rest of my life." His voice is uneven, not the usual effortless shuffle.

"That's a little, uh…" Kevin fights for the right words. So much for being an author, he thinks to himself. ...excessive. We're not even a quarter century old, buddy." He smiles, but it seems forced. He had a guy at the office say that he owned a baseball glove older than him. "I mean, well, it's your life. If you don't go through with at least an interview, than you may never know how things would turn out."

Kirbly suddenly moves across the room and sits next to Kevin with an unnerving speed. He's silent, his cobalt-blue eyes locking on to Kevin's pale green with an intensity that makes Kevin very uneasy, as if he's standing naked in front on an x-ray machine. The pair have known each other for years and it dawn on him that the person sitting across from him may be peering into his very soul. Kevin's shifts his eyes quickly, knowing that he'd give up his Underwood for a some windows with long view. Nothing. A light sweat breaks out on his forehead, thank God he remembered his fedora. Jules had windows in that pink loft of her. Lot and lots of windows. This isn't helping. Like the replay of a bad accident, Kirby breaks his silence with two words. It can't be stopped. As in in slow motion, he says:

"It's Leslie."

Time stopped. Kevin Dolez knew this day was coming. The word is out: game, set and match. Of all people to figure it out, it has to be Kirby Keeger Outside, just down the hallway of this stuffy and under-decorated office of a very wealthy Korean businessman, two laughing interns are doing bad Billy Crystal impersonations. In a sense, he's relieved. No more hiding, no more props. He remembers vaguely a prostitute hassling him a while back It's all clear now, everyone - even Howard The Card Guy - was in on it.

Clearing his throat, before launching into a full confession, Kevin eyes the water cooler. "Listen, Kir…"

Kirby disregards him with the wave of a hand. "Leslie says it's the biggest mistake of my career, if not my entire existence. I mean, who is she to talk? Are you OK?"

The color starts to come back into Kevin's pallor and he hunts for another cigarette. He flashes a winning smile, teeth alight and he knows that he to fight another day, so to speak. "Well Leslie is, uh, she's, well…"

Kirby checks his watch, a Rolex knockoff he scored off of one of Billy's new crowd. He loves Billy The Kid like a brother, but some of his new gang looked like extras from that that 48 Hours movie. "I hear that Alec wants to switch sides, but he also wants to marry her. She's worried about her career, some kind of city planner or designer."

"Architect." Kevin says, wishing like hell he hadn't have said it so fast.

Kirby checks his watch again, just a few more minutes to go. "Right. So yeah. So what right does she have to say that? So what...I'm dropping out of Law school to impress a woman that I had one date with years ago who may or may not want to have anything to do with me. Listen man, it's not like I'm hiding in the background waiting for the chance to strike, do you get me?"

Kevin nods, his face as unreadable as a mannequin. "I do."

He breathes deeply, more relaxed now. Unlike Billy, Kirby sees the person sitting not two feet from him as family. They met as freshmen at Georgetown, one only slightly gawkier than the other. Kirby had a natural skill in anything athletic, Kevin could turn a lunch menu into a best seller. Stranger bonds have come out of life, some will yet to be tested. He's about ask how The Meaning Of Life was coming when a middle aged secretary appeared from behind a closed door. "Mr. Keeger, Mr. Kim will see you now."

"Time for me to fly, buddy." Kirby says, standing up. "Any last words?"

Kevin Dolez stands up, faintly wondering where he was going after this. Probably Elmo's. He seemed to remember Wendy asking to meet him there about car shopping. "Just close it by saying something like 'Look no future, Mr. Kim. I'm your man."

Kirby is distant for a sec before snapping back to his all-american look. Still wondering if he's still about make the right move or not, he repeats this line. Except it's not to his future employee, it's his best friend of many years. Woman, secrets and careers come and go, but it's the ties of loyalty that last a lifetime.


End file.
